Ingredients

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Preparation

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir well. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk, working out any lumps that form. Bring to a full boil, then reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

2. Remove the sauce from the heat and add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk the egg yolks in a small boil and add a bit of the hot sauce to the yolks. Blend well, and return the yolk mixture to the rest of the béchamel. Stir in the cheese and blend well. Keep warm while preparing the moussaka.

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Recent Reviews

"Whisk the egg yolks in a small boil"
Does that mean bring them to a boil? Or is it misspelled and it means a small bowl?

ferpsihas /

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Excellent. However, there's an obvious misprint. The sauce will thicken in 3 minutes, not 30, as others have pointed out. The moussaka recipe that this goes with is very good also.

A Cook from Eugene, Oregon /

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Like others have mentioned, it doesn't take nearly 30 minutes to make this sauce. You can consult other recipes for Bechamel or Mornay sauces if you prefer. The two important things are 1. You must temper the eggs or you'll get scrambled eggs floating in milk. 2. You must whisk/scrape the bottom of your pan whenever you are on the heat (sometimes even for a minute or two after) or the milk will begin to brown on the bottom of the pan. Romano is a slightly better substitute for kefalotyri than Parm, but lots of sharp, firm cheeses work fine. I used grana padano because it's what I had and it's cheaper. Just don't use the pre-grated cheap stuff with caking agents, it won't melt right and the sauce will be grainy.

hlsnole /

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My sauce also thickened much more quickly than 30 minutes. I believe it must be a misprint. I've never had a bechamel sauce take 30 minutes...